Property Owner:

Contact Name:

Property Location:

The Land

Total number of acres available with this property:

550.0

Total acres available for agriculture:

550.0

Acres of forested land:

400.0

Acres of cropland or tillable land:

3.0

Acres of pasture:

35.0

Other open and/or non-farmable land:

The Coop owns a total of just under 600 acres. There are 6 house sites, roughly 2 acres each, clustered in two areas. The area available for livestock operation consists of approximately 10 acres already cleared, with potential for expansion of 15 additional acres or more. This includes a potential house site.

Quality of land:

Land was sheep pasture long ago, but not used recently for agriculture. In 1980's cleared as a log landing, then expanded through NRCS programs to current ten acres. Area is surrounded by low hills, mostly level on top, that could be cleared for additional pasture. No chemicals applied. Drainage good. Good southern exposure. Minor sloping. Soils are mix of BvC (Buckland stony loam) and TbD (Tunbridge-Woodstock rocky fine sandy loam). Mowed last few years, weeds giving way to grass. Soil amendment and seeding would alter and improve growth.

Farm Information

Water sources present:

Available

Water sources details:

A year-round brook coming out of a sizable wetland flows along one edge of the pasture area, with a suitable buffer zone of trees. Solar or ram pumps could lift water to surrounding hills. A nearby spring, easily developed, would provide gravity line to a house. The quality of our water supply is excellent and the quantity more than ample.

Barns and sheds:

None available

Farmer housing:

Available

Farmer housing details:

(See description of land coop below.) A family using the land would presumably build a dwelling and infrastructure on the farm site. Exact location, building methods, apportionment of costs, etc., would be determined collaboratively. Several possibilities for temporary housing exist, both on the land and nearby.

Equipment and machinery:

None available

Equipment and machinery details:

Coop currently has a tractor (John Deere 950) and a plow/dump truck (Ford F350). Arrangements for use could be discussed. There are several coop members with mechanical and/or building experience. We have a shop, a common barn storage space, and a wide assortment of tools.

Farm infrastructure details:

No infrastructure presently.

Tenure Arrangement

Tenure arrangement:

Other

Other:

We're looking for a family interested in doing some livestock raising on Coop land. Ideally this interest would lead to membership in the Coop. However we assume the value of a trial period, in which a family would live on the land (several housing options available) while exploring whether or not to commit to a farming venture. The Coop has a set of bylaws and a standard ground-lease agreement that defines the terms of membership; both are available on request.

Additional Information

The Lost Meadow Land Coop currently consists of six families sharing ownership of nearly 600 acres. It has been in existence for over 20 years, with stable membership over the last fifteen. The property lies within the Orange County Headwaters Project, which some of us were involved in starting. Its target area is 35,000 undeveloped acres in the towns of Corinth and Washington. Much of the land surrounding us has been conserved through this project. The land is mostly mountainous and wooded, but there is open land around dwellings and in other places. There is a pond, open fields, trails, significant wildlife, and many scenic vistas. Most of the houses are off the grid. Our surroundings are secluded and unspoiled.

A number of our families have raised children on the land, all of whom have attended the Wellspring Waldorf School. We have close ties with the agricultural community that in recent years has sprung up around West Corinth. At this point in its development the Coop is seeking new, preferably younger members who wish to do some kind of farming on the land. Our mission specifies the productive use of the land; it has been managed under Current Use for timber but not as yet for agriculture. Membership in the Coop could be a relatively inexpensive way to acquire ownership and use of farmland in Vermont. We are looking for people with shared values around sustainability, cooperative rural living, and community.

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